Crunch providing chewing gum additive and method of making

ABSTRACT

A crunchy chewing gum product having a crunch similar to that provided by incorporating granulated sugar into a sugar-based gum product is prepared by introducing, into the interior of a gum formulation, a granulated isomalt additive.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/806,969 filed on Feb.26, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,472.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention pertains to crunchy chewing gum wherein the crunchis provided by a granulated isomalt additive. More particularly, thepresent invention pertains to sugarless chewing gum exhibitingcrunchiness.

BACKGROUND ART

The art of chewing gum manufacture is well established. Suitable gumformulations traditionally contain a substantial quantity of one or morewater-insoluble elastomers, either natural, synthetic, or both,flavorants, sweeteners and the like. More recently, sugarless gumscontaining synthetic, high intensity sweeteners encouraging lowcalorific content, and/or non-conventional di- and polysaccharides,particularly those which are non-cariogenic, have become increasinglypopular. Considerable research has been expended to formulate sugarlessgums which retain sugared-based gum properties, such as texture, flavorretention and storage stability, among others.

Sugar-based gums with a crunch have recently become importantcommercially. Such gums contain crystals of sucrose, or granulatedsugar, which provide the needed crunch. The crunch provided bygranulated sugar is described as firm and slightly gritty in nature. Anacceptable, yet crunchy substitute, needs to be found for themanufacture of crunchy sugarless gums. In order to be commerciallyacceptable, it is preferred that the sugarless substitute have a longchew time before the crunchiness has substantially dissipated, and aprolonged storage time. In this regard, crunch-providing gums havinginternally distributed crunch additives are not similar to gums having ahard outside coating, as the manufacturing and storage problems arequite different. It is also preferred that the crunch provided by thesugarless substitute be similar to that provided by granulated sugar.

Polyols known as sugar alcohols are potential candidates for providingsugarless crunch. Examples are sorbitol, mannitol, maltose, xylitol, andthe like. However, in addition to providing crunch, the particularpolyol must be storage stable, i.e. the crunchiness must be retainedafter a commercially acceptable storage time. Further, the flavors andsofteners in the gum product should not soften the polyol and thusreduce the crunch, and the process for formation of the additive shouldbe economically feasible.

It would be desirable to provide a sugarless additive which can beutilized to form a chewing gum product having a crunchy feel, inparticular, a crunchy feel similar to that provided by granulated sugar,and which maintains this crunchy feel over an extended period of chewtime. It would be further desirable to provide a gum having a crunchyfeel which maintains this characteristic under commercially desirablestorage conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a chewing gum comprising: (a) one or moreelastomers, sweeteners and flavorants, and (b) an amount of a granulatedisomalt additive having a particle size greater than about 50 mesh suchthat said additive provides a crunch to said gum.

The invention also concerns the crunch additive, and processes for thepreparation of the crunch additive and chewing gums containing same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention pertains to chewing gums containing crystallineisomalt as a crunch-providing additive. Crystalline, granulated isomaltprepared by heating isomalt or an isomalt solution to a temperatureabove 130° C. followed by cooling and granulation, can be incorporatedinternally into gum formulations to provide crunch, in particular, adesirable crunch having texture and mouth feel similar to that providedby granulated sugar. The isomalt additive provides for a long lastingcrunch and commercially acceptable storage time as compared to othercrystalline polyols.

The crystalline isomalt must be employed in a size range which providesfor a crunch while chewing. Isomalt crystals having a size greater than50 mesh (0.300 mm), preferably greater than 40 mesh (0.425 mm), and morepreferably in the range of 30 (0.600 mm) to 40 mesh have been foundsuitable. The gum formulation may be for any type of gum, i.e. chewinggum or bubble gum, and may be provided in any of the traditional gumforms, i.e. sticks, blocks, hard coated pellets, and the like. Inaccordance with the present invention, the crunch additives areinternal, i.e. the crunch is not derived from the coating surroundinghard-coated gum products.

The crunch additive consists substantially of isomalt, optionallycontaining flavoring agents, coloring agents, and less preferablycontaining most minor quantities of other polyols. The term “most minor”means less than 20 weight percent based on the weight of the crunchadditive. Preferably, no more than 10 weight percent of the crunchadditive comprises another polyol, and most preferably, the sole polyolis isomalt. The term “isomalt” as used herein includes these most minorquantity of other polyols unless the clear language indicates otherwise.

The crystalline isomalt is prepared from commercially available isomaltsuch as, for example, PALATINIT PF from Suddeutsche Zucker. The isomaltis heated to a relatively high temperature prior to being allowed tocrystallize. The crystalline isomalt may alternatively be prepared froma solution of isomalt in water. Where solutions of isomalt are used, forease of processing it is preferred to use concentrated solutions with a70:30 ratio of isomalt: water being especially preferred. In eitherinstance the isomalt is heated to a temperature above 130° C.,preferably above 145° C., and most preferably to about 160° C., orhigher. The resultant melt is poured into a pan and allowed tocrystallize for a sufficient time at room temperature. A period of 18hours has been found sufficient. However, shorter or longer times may beused as well. It is preferable to avoid supercooling the melts.

Any granulation method known to those skilled in the art can be used togranulate the material. A preferred method uses granulation equipmentsuch as the “Crack-U-Lizer” model of Modern Process Equipment, Inc. Theglassy material is first broken up by any suitable method, to a feedsize, preferably in a hopper where it can then be fed to the granulatorwhich has been pre-set for the predetermined particle size distribution.It is also contemplated to crystallize the isomalt by extrusion atrelatively high temperature, for example as discussed in U.S. Pat. No.5,472,733. If extrusion is used, the use of isomalt solutions is lesspreferable.

Colorants, dyes and/or flavorants may be optionally added to the crunchadditive. Flavorants are preferably added to the melted isomalt duringthe cooling phase preferably at a point where the melt has cooled to atemperature below the flash point of the flavorant. Such determinationsare well within the skill of those skilled in the gum arts. Colorantsand dyes may also be added with the flavorant or may be mixed with theisomalt prior to heating.

Suitable particle sizes are attained through conventional techniques.The particle size is larger than 50 mesh, preferably larger than 40mesh, and more preferably in the range of 30-40 mesh. Smaller particlesizes than about 50 mesh will not provide a suitable crunchy feel forany length of time due to their small size, and may suffer fromplasticization by water or other gum components during storage. Largerparticle sizes are also useful, however. It is understood that theparticle sizes herein are those retained by a screen having the citedmesh size, and that the actual particle size will include some particleswhich are smaller than the particular mesh size. Moreover, an additiveof a given average particle size will be expected to have a somewhatsmaller average particle size due to some reduction in size during thegum blending operation. Talc and other processing aids such as calciumcarbonate may be added when necessary, for example to minimize surfacetack.

The gum formulation itself may be varied appropriately to suit the typeof gum produced, i.e. chewing or bubble gum. Although the materialprovided is a sugarless product, one could use the material in asugar-based gum or in a gum containing both sugars and sugar alcohols asthe bulking agents. For a sugarless gum formula, the gum is preferablyanhydrous, although the gum formulation need not be anhydrous. Examplesof suitable gum formulations may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,961,935,4,514,422; 4,382,963; 4,579,738, and the like, which are incorporatedherein by reference.

It is preferred to employ in a gum formulation containing the sugarlesscrunch material, from 5 to 50% of gum base; from 2 to 10% softeners;from 0.5 to 5% flavoring; from 0-2% intense sweeteners; from 0 to 1%colorants; and from 1 to 70% bulking agents, all percentages given inparts by weight.

For sugarless gums the bulking agent is a polyalcohol (polyol). Thepolyalcohol may comprise any conventional bulking polyalcohol, i.e.sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, isomalt, erythritol, maltitol, etc., infinely granulated or powdered form. The crunchy chewing gum compositionsmay be used to provide a variety of chewing gum product formats, such assticks, slabs, chunks, balls, ropes, tablets, and center filled andconfectionery coated gum products.

The amount of crunch additive to be used in the finished chewing gumproduct depends on several factors including the particle sizedistribution obtained in preparing the crunch product and the effectdesired. In general, less than 9% by weight would be unsuitable inproviding sufficient crunch. While amounts greater that 16% wouldprovide crunch such amount would only be useful for novelty effectssince such amounts are excessive and may overwhelm the desired effect. Apreferred range of additive would be from 10-15% by weight of the gumproduct.

The gum base employed in the present invention can vary depending uponfactors such as the type of base desired, the consistency of gum desiredand the other components used in the composition to make the finalchewing gum product. The gum base may be any water-insoluble gum baseknown in the art, and includes those gum bases utilized for chewing gumsand bubble gums. Illustrative examples of suitable polymers in gum basesinclude both natural and synthetic elastomers and rubbers. In thisregard, polymers which are suitable as gum bases include, withoutlimitation, elastomers of vegetable origin such as chicle, naturalrubber, crown gum, nispero, rosidinha, jelutong, perillo, niger gutta,tunu, balata, guttapercha, lechi capsi, sorva, gutta kay, mixturesthereof, and the like. Synthetic elastomers such as butadiene-styrenecopolymers, polyisobutylene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymers,polyethylene, mixtures thereof, and the like, are also useful. Suitablegum bases may also include a non-toxic vinyl polymer, such as polyvinylacetate and its partial hydrolysate, polyvinyl alcohol, and mixturesthereof. When utilized, the molecular weight of the vinyl polymer mayrange from about 2,000 to about 94,000 Daltons (Da).

The amount of gum base employed will also vary depending upon factorssuch as the type of base used, the consistency of the gum desired andthe other components used in the composition to make the final chewinggum product. In general, the gum base will be present in amounts fromabout 5% to about 50%, preferably in amounts from about 15% to about40%, and more preferably in amounts from about 23% to about 35%, byweight of the final chewing gum composition.

The gum base may also include plasticizers or softeners such as lanolin,palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, sodium stearate, potassiumstearate, glyceryl triacetate, glyceryl lecithin, glyceryl monostearate,propylene glycol monostearate, acetylated monoglyceride, glycerine,mixtures thereof, and the like. Waxes, for example, natural andsynthetic waxes, hydrogenated vegetable oils, organic waxes such aspolyurethane waxes, polyethylene waxes, paraffin waxes, microcrystallinewaxes, fatty waxes, sorbitan monostearate, tallow, polypropylene glycol,mixtures thereof, and the like, may also be incorporated into the gumbase. Such materials are incorporated into the gum base to provide avariety of desirable textures and consistency properties. Because of thelow molecular weight of these ingredients, they are able to penetratethe fundamental structure of the gum base making it plastic and lessviscous. These additional materials are generally employed in amounts upto about 18%, preferably in amounts from about 5% to about 18%, and morepreferably in amounts from about 10% to about 14%, by weight of the gumbase.

In a preferred embodiment, the softening agent is glycerin, such as thecommercially available United States Pharmacopeia (USP) grade. Glycerinis a syrupy liquid with a sweet warm taste and has a sweetness of about60% of cane sugar.

The gum base may also include effective amounts of mineral adjuvantssuch as calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, alumina, aluminumhydroxide, aluminum silicate, talc, tricalcium phosphate, dicalciumphosphate and the like, as well as mixtures thereof. These mineraladjuvants may serve as fillers and textural agents. These fillers oradjuvants may be used in the gum base in various amounts. Preferably,the amount of filler, when used, will be present in an amount up toabout 60%, by weight of the chewing gum base.

Effective amounts of a variety of traditional ingredients further may beincluded in the gum base, such as coloring agents, antioxidants,preservatives, and the like. For example, titanium dioxide and otherdyes suitable for food, drug and cosmetic applications, known as F.D. &C. dyes, may be utilized. An anti-oxidant such as butylatedhydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), propyl gallate,and mixtures thereof, may also be included. Other conventional chewinggum additives known to one having ordinary skill in the chewing gum artmay also be used in the chewing gum base.

The chewing gum composition containing the base may include effectiveamounts of conventional additives selected from the group consisting ofnon-sucrose sweetening agents (sweeteners), plasticizers, softeners,emulsifiers, waxes, fillers, bulking agents (carriers, extenders),mineral adjuvants, flavoring agents (flavors, flavorings),coloring-agents (colorants, colorings), antioxidants, acidulants,thickeners, mixtures thereof, and the like. Some of these additives mayserve more than one purpose. For example, in sugarless gum compositions,a sweetener, such as sorbitol or other sugar alcohol or mixturesthereof, may also function as a bulking agent.

The plasticizers, softening agents, mineral adjuvants, coloring agents,waxes and antioxidants discussed above, as being suitable for use in thegum base, may also be used in the gum composition. Examples of otherconventional additives which may be used include emulsifiers, such aslecithin and glyceryl monostearate, thickeners, used alone or incombination with other softeners, such as methyl cellulose, alginates,carrageenan, xanthan gum, gelatin, carob, tragacanth, locust bean, andcarboxy methyl cellulose, acidulants such as malic acid, adipic acid,citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, and mixtures thereof, andfillers, such as those discussed above under the category of mineraladjuvants. The fillers, when used, may be utilized in an amount up toabout 60%, by weight of the gum composition.

The flavoring agents which may be used include those flavors known tothe skilled artisan, such as natural and artificial flavors. Theseflavorings may be chosen from synthetic flavor oils and flavoringaromatics and/or oils, oleoresins and extracts derived from plants,leaves, flowers, fruits, and so forth, and combinations thereof.Nonlimiting representative flavor oils include spearmint oil, cinnamonoil, oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate), peppermint oil, clove oil,bay oil, anise oil, eucalyptus oil, thyme oil, cedar leaf oil, oil ofnutmeg, allspice, oil of sage, mace, oil of bitter almonds, and cassiaoil. Also, useful flavorings are artificial, natural and synthetic fruitflavors such as vanilla, and citrus oils including lemon, orange, lime,grapefruit, and fruit essences including apple, pear, peach, grape,strawberry, raspberry, cherry, plum, pineapple, apricot and so forth.These flavoring agents may be used in liquid or solid form and may beused individually or in admixture. Commonly used flavors include mintssuch as peppermint, menthol, artificial vanilla, cinnamon derivatives,and various fruit flavors, whether employed individually or inadmixture.

Other useful flavorings include aldehydes and esters such as cinnamylacetate, cinnamaldehyde, citral diethylacetal, dihydrocarvyl acetate,eugenyl formate, p-methylamisol, and so forth may be used. Generally anyflavoring or food additive such as those described in Chemicals Used inFood Processing, publication 1274, pages 63-258, by the National Academyof Sciences, may be used.

The flavoring agents of the present invention may be used in manydistinct physical forms well known in the art to provide an initialburst of flavor and/or a prolonged sensation of flavor. Without beinglimited thereto, such physical forms include free forms, such as spraydried, powdered, and beaded forms, and encapsulated forms, and mixturesthereof.

The coloring agents useful in the present invention are used in amountseffective to produce the desired color. These coloring agents includepigments which may be incorporated in amounts up to about 6%, by weightof the gum composition. A preferred pigment, titanium dioxide, may beincorporated in amounts up to about 2%, and preferably less than about1%, by weight of the gum composition. The colorants may also includenatural food colors and dyes suitable for food, drug and cosmeticapplications. These colorants are known as F.D.&C. dyes and lakes. Thematerials acceptable for the foregoing uses are preferablywater-soluble. A full recitation of all F.D.&C. colorants and theircorresponding chemical structures may be found in the Kirk-OthmerEncyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd Edition, in volume 5 at pages857-885, which text is incorporated herein by reference.

The flavorants, colorants and dyes may likewise be optionally added tothe crunch additive as previously described.

The apparatus useful in accordance with the present invention formanufacture of the chewing gum comprises mixing and heating apparatuswell known in the chewing gum manufacturing arts, and therefore theselection of the specific apparatus will be apparent to the artisan. Inpreparing a gum, a composition is made by admixing the gumbasecomposition with the crunch additive and the other ingredients of thefinal desired composition. Other ingredients will usually beincorporated into the composition as dictated by the nature of thedesired composition as well known by those having ordinary skill in theart. The ultimate chewing gum compositions are readily prepared usingmethods generally known in the food technology and pharmaceutical arts.

For example, a gum base is heated to a temperature sufficiently high tosoften the base without adversely affecting the physical and chemicalmake up of the base. The optimal temperatures utilized may varydepending upon the composition of the gum base used, but suchtemperatures are readily determined by those skilled in the art withoutundue experimentation. The gum base is conventionally melted attemperatures that range from about 60° C. to about 120° C. for a periodof time sufficient to render the base molten. For example, the gum basemay be heated under those conditions for a period of about thirtyminutes just prior to being admixed incrementally with the remainingingredients of the gum such as plasticizers, softeners, bulking agents,sweeteners, and the crunch additive and/or fillers, coloring agents andflavoring agents to plasticize the blend as well as to modulate thehardness, viscoelasticity and formability of the base. Mixing iscontinued until a uniform mixture of gum composition is obtained.Thereafter the gum composition mixture may be formed into desirablechewing gum shapes.

Confectionery coated chewing gum compositions incorporating theinventive sugarless crunchy chewing gum compositions are also within thescope of the invention. Such confectionery coated compositions containthe inventive sugarless crunchy chewing gum composition as the center orcore portion of the chewing gum product and a confectionery material asa coating over the center portion. The confectionery material may beeither a sugar material or a sugarless material, and preferably is asugarless confectionery material.

The confectionery coated chewing gum compositions may be prepared usingstandard techniques and equipment known to those skilled in the art. Theapparatus useful in accordance with the present invention comprisesmixing, heating, coating (dusting) and drying apparatus well known inthe chewing gum manufacturing arts, and therefore the selection of thespecific apparatus will be apparent to the artisan.

In such a method, a composition is made by admixing the inventivesugarless, substantially anhydrous chewing gum composition as set outabove with the other ingredients of the desired core portioncomposition. The homogeneous mixture is then formed into portions whichare then placed in a revolving coating pan. A confectionery coatingsyrup is prepared, heated if necessary, and then applied to the gumportions. The coated gum portions are then allowed to cool and dry.Various ingredients will usually be incorporated into the confectionerycoating composition as dictated by the nature of the desired compositionas well known by those having ordinary skill in the art.

Having generally described this invention, a further understanding canbe obtained by reference to certain specific examples which are providedherein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to belimiting unless otherwise specified.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Preparation of Isomalt Granulates

1a. An isomalt granulate was prepared by heating a 70:30 isomalt/watermixture to 160° C., pouring the melt into a metal tray and allowing itto stand and cool for 18 hours. The cooled and hardened crystallineproduct was crushed and sieved through a 20 mesh screen. Further sizeclassification produced granulates in the 30 to 40 mesh range. Afive-week, moisture pick-up comparative study of the 1a processedisomalt and unprocessed isomalt showed no loss of stability due toprocessing.

1b: An isomalt granulate was similarly prepared as in 1a using powderedisomalt. The isomalt was slowly heated to 160° C. with melting, pouredinto metal trays, cooled, and sieved as in 1a.

Comparative Examples C1-C4 Preparation of Polyol Granulates

C1: A 70:30 mixture of xylitol and water was heated to 160° C. andcooled as in Example 1a. Granulates were prepared as in Example 1a.

C2: Preparation of maltitol granulates from 10%, 5%, and 2.5% aqueousmaltitol solutions was attempted, using the procedure of Example 1a. Inall cases, crystal preparation proved difficult. Crystalline granulatehaving a mesh size of 20 to 30 was finally prepared by heating 2.5%aqueous maltitol to 180° C. followed by cooling for 24 hours.

C3, C4: Samples of sorbitol and mannitol were similarly mixed withwater, heated to 160° C. and cooled both independently and in admixture.No recrystallization was observed upon cooling and therefore nogranulate having an acceptable particle size could be prepared.

Examples 2, 3, C5 and C6 Chewing Gum Preparation

A series of chewing gum samples were prepared by conventional methodsemploying the following gum formulation:

Formula I: Chewing Gum Ingredients Percentage % Gum Base 26.0 Softeners6.5 Flavor(s) 1.5 Intense Sweeteners 0.52 Polyalcohols* 65.48 *TotalPolyalcohol includes weight of granulated material.

The sugarless crunch was added with the intense sweeteners to the gummixture containing partially mixed gum ingredients. The gum was mixeduntil completion of the full mixing cycle, removed from the gum kettleand rolled and scored in the conventional manner. The gum samples wereformulated using the granulates prepared in the prior examples asfollows:

TABLE 1 Gum Example Granulate Example % Granulate 2 1a 10 3 1b 16 C5 C110 C6 C2 16No formulations were prepared from sorbitol or mannitol (Example C3 andC4) since granulates could not be prepared from these polyols or theirmixtures.Comparative Tests

Chew studies of the granulate-containing gums were conducted by a panelof four experts in the gum arts. The studies were two-fold: (1) durationof crunch studied over time and (2) organoleptic effects. The sampleswere stored at 37° C. in a stability oven to provide an acceleratedaging process over the 12 week study period. Chews were made at variousintervals. Crunch results were measured by noting the time over whichthe crunch was maintained. Organoleptic evaluation was done on sensoryimpressions.

Table 2 shows the comparative chew test results initially and afterextended storage, the chew tests being taken at two-week intervals. Thenumbers indicate duration in minutes and seconds.

TABLE 2 Example Initial Week 2 Week 4 Week 6 Week 8 Week 12 2 2:30 2:201:55 1:35 1:00 0:45 3 1:51 1:51 1:51 1:51 1:20 1:00 C5 1:30 1:30 1:301:30 0:50 0:40

Example C6, the gum containing the maltitol granulates, is not includedin the table. C6 was evaluated as having good initial crunch but thegranulates proved unstable within a gum formulation, the granulateshaving plasticized within one week of the test period.

Table 2 indicates that both xylitol (Example C5) and isomalt (Example 2)can provide crunch duration. With xylitol, however, the initial chewtime before crunch disappears is lower than with isomalt. The Example 3gum containing 16% amount of the isomalt crunch additive exhibitedslightly less initial crunch duration as compared to the gum of Example2, but provided extended stability of the crunch duration.

The gum products of Examples 2, 3 and C5 were concomitantly evaluatedfor organoleptic impressions (sensory impressions) during the crunchduration tests. The expert panel found that the Example 2 gum provided acrunch which was very similar to that of granulated sugar, firm andslightly gritty in nature, the desired texture and effect necessary fora “crunch” gum. The crunch remained consistent for 2+ minutes andgradually diminished during a 5 minute chew. Example 3 was evaluated assimilar to Example 2 in effect. The crunch of the Example C5 gum wasevaluated as softer by comparison. The granulates were found to have atendency to melt in the mouth during chew, rather than crunch or pop,upon chewing. The panel concluded that while C5 provided a stable gumproduct it did not meet the necessary criteria (organolepticrequirements) for crunch in the gum's chew texture.

Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can bemade thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventionas set forth herein.

1. A crunch providing ingredient suitable for incorporation internallyinto a chewing gum, said crunch providing ingredient being a granulatedadditive consisting essentially of isomalt prepared by a process whereinisomalt is heated at a temperature of above 130° C., cooled to form asolid isomalt product and granulated to a particle size greater than 50mesh.
 2. The crunch providing ingredient of claim 1 wherein said chewinggum is a sugarless gum.
 3. The crunch providing ingredient of claim 1wherein said process further comprises dissolving isomalt in water toform a solution and heating said solution to above 130° prior tocooling.
 4. The crunch providing ingredient of claim 1 wherein saidisomalt is heated to a temperature of above 145° C.
 5. The crunchproviding ingredient of claim 4 wherein said isomalt is heated to atemperature of above 160° C.
 6. The crunch providing ingredient of claim1 wherein said isomalt contains one or more flavoring agents.
 7. Thecrunch providing ingredient of claim 1 wherein said isomalt contains oneor more dyes or colorants.
 8. The crunch providing ingredient of claim 1having a particle size greater than 40 mesh.
 9. The crunch providingingredient of claim 8 having a particle size range of 30 mesh to 40mesh.
 10. A process for the preparation of a crunch providing ingredientfor a chewing gum which is a granulated additive consisting essentiallyof isomalt, said process consisting essentially of: a) heating isomaltat a temperature of 130° C. or higher; b) cooling the heated isomalt toform a solid; and C) granulating said solid to a particle size greaterthan 50 mesh.
 11. The process of claim 10 wherein said chewing gum is asugarless gum.
 12. The process of claim 10 which further comprisesdissolving isomalt in water to form a solution and heating said solutionto above 130° C. prior to cooling.
 13. The process of claim 10 whereinsaid isomalt is heated to a temperature of above 145° C.
 14. The processof claim 13 wherein said isomalt is heated to a temperature of above160° C.
 15. The process of claim 10 wherein said isomalt contains one ormore flavoring agents.
 16. The process of claim 10 wherein said isomaltcontains one or more dyes or colorants.
 17. The process of claim 10wherein the crunch providing ingredient has a particle size greater than40 mesh.
 18. The process of claim 17 wherein the crunch providingingredient has a particle size range of 30 mesh to 40 mesh.